Sign.



A. B. LEECH.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1917. 11 %?1 4&% Patented July 2, ma.

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SIGN.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. I9I7. LWL OIMQ Patented July 2,1918.

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AUBEEY B. LEJECH, 015 LOS GENES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO JUSJEF NEW, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SIG-N.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented duly are.

Application filed February 26, 1917. Serial No. 151,459.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUBREY B. LEncH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Sign, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to devices of the character designed to advertise, and more particularly pertains to illuminated signs of the character, for instance, used in connection with announcements for moving picture theaters and other places of amusement and entertainment.

An object of the invention is to minimize the cost of advertising by illuminated signs.

Another object is to simplify the construction of illuminated signs so as to minimize the cost thereof.

Another object is to produce a construction whereby a minimum number of lamps may be employed for illumination of the s1 Another object is to provide a construction whereby a pleasing efl'ect is given to the e e.

Another object is to provide a construction that will facilitate the setting up of the letters of whatever word or words are to constitute the inscription.

Another object is to make provislon for centering the word or words of the inscription.

B Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detail descrlption.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a front or side view of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation on line indicated by w w Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan section on line indicated by w -a2 ig. 2.

Fi 4 is a perspective view of two of the stenciled sign plates employed in the device.

Fig. 5 is a, side view of another embodiment of the invention.

Fi 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation on line indicated by w x Fig 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan section on line indicated by w"a1", Fig. 6.

There is provided a suitable cabinet indicated in general by the character 1, sald cabinet comprising a top 2, a bottom 3, ends A and sides 5. The top, bottom and ends are made of suitable opaque material such, for example, as sheet metal, and in the form shown in Fig. 2 one of the sides is opaque and may be of the same material, In Fig. 2 the side opposite the opaque side is provided with a translucent panel 6, and in the form shown in Figs. 5 to 7 both sides 5 are provided with translucent panels designated by the same reference character 6. The translucent panels may be of glass or other suitable material and in a device already constructed and embodying the invention said translucent panels are of a kind of glass termed Opalite.

The translucent panels 6 may be of any desired color and in Fig. 1 there is a single panel and in Fig. 5 there are six such panels three on each side.

Illumination of the translucent panels 6 is edected by electric lamps 7; in Fig. 3, each of said lamps being mounted on a bracket 8 fastened to the rear side 5 of the cabinet midway between the top and bottom of said cabinet, and in Fig. 6 said lamps'being mounted in brackets 9 which are fastened at intervals to a suitable support such as a rod 10 that traverses the interior of the cabinet from the top to the bottom thereof and that is fastened to said top and bot tom by nuts 11. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 to 7 the cabinet is provided with partitions 12 between the upper and intermediate panels 6 and between the intermediate and lower panels. The rods 10 pass through the partitions 12 and said partitions are fastened to the rods by nuts 13. Thus the partitions are braced by the rods and the partitions themselves serve to brace the sides of the cabinet.

The translucent panels 6 have their upper and lower edges slidably engaging channels 1% of the cabinet 1, said channels being spaced inward from the outer edge of the cabinet so as to produce recesses 15 in one side of the cabinet in Fig. 2 and in both sides of the cabinet in Fig. 6. The channels 14: are connected to outer border members in the form of open frames 16, and spaced apart from said border members and from the translucent panel or panels 6, as the case may be, are inner border members in the form of open frames 17. Thus when the lamps are lighted there is an illuminated border space 18 between the outer and inner border members and it is readily understood that the portions of the translucent panel or panels immediately rearward of the illuminated border space 18 may be painted or otherwise colored a different color than the portions of said panels visible through the inner frames 17 The inner frames 17 may be suitably supported and in the instance shown in the drawings said frames 17 are connected to the outer frames 16 by wires 19 or equivalents.

The frame 17 may be provided longitudinally thereof and parallel with the top and bottom of said frame with division members 20 as in Figs. 5 and 6, which may be in the form of channels. and said division members 20 and also the bottoms of the inner frames 17 in both Figs. 2 and 6 are provided with sign plate rests or ledges 21 which practically engage the outer faces of the adjacent panels 6. The sign plate rests 21 of the inner frames 17 are below the level of the inner margin of said frames so as to form between said frames and the adjacent panels 6 channels 22, and the division frames 20 are provided with flanges 23 so as to form between said channels and the adjacent panels 6 channels corresponding to the channels 22 and designated by the same reference characters, and the bottoms of the channels of the division frames form sign plate rests or ledges 21 corresponding to the sign plate rests 21 of the inner frames.

Resting in the channels 22 and shiftable therealong and detachable therefrom are sign plates 24, some of said sign plates being blank and others of said sign plates having stenciled characters It is understood that with each sign is furnished a font of both blank and stenciled sign plates so that the letters and other accessory characters used in rinting may be combined to form the wor s or other devices of any desired announcement as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

The upper margins of the sign plates 24 in Fig. 2 and of the uppermost row of sign plates in Fig. 6 are inserted in the space between the inner frames 17 and the translucent panels 6, and in Fig. 6 the division members 20 are provided on their under sides with flanges 26 between which and the adjacent panels 6 the upper margins of the intermediate and lower rows of sign plates 24 are inserted.

Adjacent sign plates 24 overlap one another, as clearly shown in Figs. 3. 4 and 7 so as to prevent the passage of light through the joints between adjacent plates, and in the instance shown in the drawings each sign plate is provided along one edgewith an inwardly extending offset portion 27 and is provided along its opposite edge with an inturned flange 28, the offsetting being desirable to insure against the sign plates slipping down between the sign plate rests and the panels, for it is readily understood that if the signs are relatively long the parts thereof may not be rigid enough to maintain contact between the ledges 21 and the translucent panels 6. The function of the flanges 28 of the sign plates is to maintain the sign plates flush with one another so as to produce an even and uniform appearance of the sign plates from end to end of the sign.

From the foregoing it is readily seen that when the lamps 7 are lighted the light from said lamps will pass through the translucent panels and will pass through the stenciling of the sign plates so as to produce an illuminated inscription readily discernible to the eyes of the observers.

In practice to set up a word or words for an inscription for the sign, all that is necessary is to choose from the font of sign plates furnished with each sign the required kind and number of letters or other characters necessary for spelling the words of the inscription desired and to place said sign plates in proper sequence along the channels 22. This may be readily done by first inserting the upper margin of the letter and then sliding the letter upward until the lower-margin of said letter can be pushed into the channel 22. After inserting all the letters of the word or words, other desired characters and'whatever blanks are necessary to make the spacing between the words, the letters may be all shifted together in either direction so as to properly center the inscription in the sign and then blank sign plates 24 will be inserted in the same manner to fill out the spaces between the ends of the inscription and the ends of the inner frames 17 so that light from the lamps will pass through the inner frame 17 only at those portions where the stenciled sign plates are located.

As an example of a desirable illumination of the sign, the letters of the sign may appear in white and the border in red and it is clear that such combinations or other lighting effects may readily be obtained by merely painting the panels 6 the appropriate color at those portions thereof where the color effect is desired.

To remove the sign plates. all that is necessary is to raise them sufficiently so that the lower margins thereof can be drawn outward away from the channels 22 to free the upper margins of said letters as is readily comprehended, owing to the height of the letters being less than the distance from the top of the up er channel to the bottom of the lower channe as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The translucent panels 6 may be readily inserted into place and withdrawn therefrom through a slot or slots 29 in one end of dth7e cabinet 1 as clearly shown in Figs. 3 an hbfl,

In those stenciled sign plates 24!: having portions which it is preferable to strenhen in some manner because of the stencil cuts, for example, those plates having the stenciled letters A and O wires or equivalents may be used to connect the diferent portions of the plates together so as to strengthen the same.

1. In combination, a translucent panel, an outer frame on one side 'of said anel, an inner frame within and spaced rom the outer frame to form a border space between said frames, and stenciled sign plates detachably mounted in the inner frame.

2. In combination, a translucent panel, an

out-er frame on one side of said panel, an inner frame Within and spaced from the outer frame to form a border space between said frames, and stenciled sign plates shiftably mounted in the inner frame.

In combination, a cabinet having one side partly formed by a translucent panel, a lamp in the cabinet, said cabinet forming a frame along the outside of the panel and spaced therefrom and provided with a ledge extending along the bottom portion of the frame in the space between said frame and panel, and stenciled sign plates having their 0 upper and lower margins inserted between the frame and panel, the lower edges of said sign plates shiftably resting on said ledge.

4. In combination, a cabinet having one side partly formed by translucent panels, one beneath the other, a lamp in the cabinet, said cabinet forming a frame along the outside of the upper and lower panels and spaced therefrom and provided with a ledge extending along the bottom portion of the frame. in the space. between said frame and lower panel, said frame having a division member longitudinally thereof between the top and bottom of-the frame provid with a ledge extending substantially to the upper panel, and stenciled sign plates resting on the ledges.

5. in combination, a panel, and letter plates mounted on one side of the pel, each letter plate being provided along one edge with an inwardly extending ofl'set portion 27 and provided along its opposite edge with an inturned flange 28, the edge of said flange being adapted torest against the outer face of the odset portion of the next adjacent letter plate.

Signed at L08 Angeles California, this 23d day of February, 191i.

AREY B. LlEEyCH.

Witnesses:

Gnonon H. films, A. F. SCI-1H1 1. FM a.

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